Ok, I've asked for some help on this one before...still haven't gotten anywhere with it. Here's the deal: My car acts as it would if the starter solenoid were going out. You turn the key to start and sometimes it'll crank, sometimes it'll just click. If it clicks, let off, turn to start again,... eventually it will crank. I have replaced the starter and solenoid. It bench tests perfectly. I have replaced the ignition switch. Any ideas on what to check? Places that I should look for voltage (other than the obvious at the starter,...)? Any ideas? I'd really like to get this problem fixed as it has been like this ever since I've had the car. I've always just dealt with it but, I want it fixed now! Thanks!!

check your connections on the starter for corrosion /being loose.

Isnt it great to fix the lil things lol. Have you checked the cables and/or replaced them(mind as well go with bigger cable while your at it). To me it sounds like a bad ground. Possibly the solenoid is getting heat soaked. Ive thought I saw a thread about someone going to a remote mount solenoid and it helped alot. Might want to check into that too.

as far as the connections at the starter, they been off and on several times over the course of the 6 or 8 years I've had the car and I haven't noticed any problems.
It can't be a heat soak problem because it does it cold, too. It wouldn't hurt to check the cables but I don't think that there's any problem with them as it will crank fine once you get it to crank. FWIW, currently the car is sitting in the driveway and not being driven...sometimes you go to start it and it fires right up. Other times, you get the clicking then finally it'll start. This is without being moved (or shaken/jar'd around).

ok got cha...well...

It can only be three things that i know of:

-Bad battery(negative as you said it will start fine most of the time)
-Bad Solenoid(possible, might not be a bad idea to grab one off another car that remote mounts them just to see if it cures the problem)
-A short circuit somewhere(Not likely but possible)

could VATS be causing this problem? any ideas on that? I'm not familiar with how that system is wired...

From what I know about the VATS, that will allow the car to crank and even start, but only run for 3 seconds, then kill it. I dont know that it would cause something like that. Im wondering if you have some internal corrosion in the cables somewhere. Thats kind of an odd one.

i like the bad ground theory. but you said you took the starter and solenoid off. so then that leaves the switch...replaced that. power either isnt getting to the starter well...or being grounded welll...or the switch signal is not getting to it in one form or another. process of elimination.

We can rule out VATS and the ignition switch because the starter DOES click. What I would check next is to see that the mounting point for the starter is clean and free of oil/grease, rust, etc. Keep in mind that the starter motor grounds through the engine block, which is why the negative battery cable is attached to the front.

I would also check the positive battery cable... A bad cable will sometimes cause this. Does this happen mainly when the engine is hot? Check to see if there is any voltage difference between the battery post and the starter post. If the voltmeter reads anything above zero, then the positive cable is suspect. Clean the connections, not just at the starter, but between the bolt and the cable ring, and the cable ring and the battery.

Ok, did some testing tonight while the motor's out of the car (about to throw a 3.4 in it). Had the starter sitting on the crossmember and used my jumper cables as a ground (clamp to starter housing, clamp to strut mount bolt). The thing worked every time you hit the key! Sooo..... possibly a bad wire, still...thinking that with it positioned differently a bad spot in the wire could be making better contact. possibly have a ground problem under normal circumstances (doubt that, though). Or....I got lucky tonight. dunno. Once the motor's back in, I'll check it out somemore if its still giving me problems. We'll see. Thanks for the ideas so far!